Animeph

Hyoudou Issei is your usual hormone-driven high school boy. When asked out by a beautiful girl from his school, he quickly accepts without second thoughts. However this girl turns out to be a sadistic fallen angel, who proceeds to killing Issei on the night of their first date. Laying in his own blood with deep regrets Rias Gremory appears and ressurects him as a demon serving as her pawn. She is from a high ranking family of demons and the head of his school’s Occult Research Club. In his new life he helps people who try to call forth demons and assists in Rias’ quarrels with other demons and fallen angels.

Being based on a series of light novels,  there certainly  is an unfolding story line that is interesting to follow, yet not too original or breathtaking to be praiseworthy. After all High School DxD’s main selling point seems to be the hilarious comedy and the extensive fan service. Still, the annoucmet of a second season proves its success among viewers, so fans of this genre should defenitly risk a glimpse.
Rating: 8/10

Ririchiyo is a daughter of the rich and influential Shirakiin house. The envy of other girls made her a victim of bullying in her childhood. Those experiences have created a wall around her and the strong urge to be independent from other people. Over time she started acting moody and unfriendly to others, when in fact she really wants to make friends. In her urge for independance she moves out and decides to start living on her own in a mansion named Ayakashi Kan. In the Ayakashi Kan it is a custom to have all residents be accompanied by a member of the Secret Service (S.S.), which Ririchiyo of course refuses. The man assigned to her however, insists on serving her and pledges unyielding loyalty to the extend of a faithful dog. This man, who turns out to be a powerful fox spirit, seems to have some kind of connection to Ririchiyo’s past.

The strong points of Inu x Boku SS are the beautiful animations and the hilarious moments. However, the main running gag of Ririchiyo acting “tsundere” while her servant acts like a faithful dog, might over time get boring and repetitive to some if not changed. What confuses me a little is that this anime is often attributed with the shounen genre, even though a female main character who is fancied by bishounens is a typical feature of shoujo anime. For those who are not bothered by such distinctions, Inu x Boku SS is an entertaining comedy anime with a touch of romance and fantasy-action.
Rating: 8,5/10